New Hip Hop News

Former NFL star Keyshawn Johnson revealed the passing of his first-born child, Maia, on social media this week. The details of her passing have not been revealed, and Johnson asks that the media allow their family privacy and time to grieve. 

“It is with incredible sadness that I have to share the news about the passing of my beautiful Daughter Maia. Maia, as my first born child, has been the joy of my, and her Mother Shikiri’s, life,” Johnson wrote on Twitter. “She came into our lives just as we were both coming of age as adults and has been a constant beloved presence for both of us. We are heartbroken and devastated by her loss. Shikiri, Maia’s siblings, our family and me appreciate your thoughts and prayers at this difficult time.”

Johnson was a college superstar who got drafted No. 1 overall in 1996. He spent his first few seasons with the New York Jets before playing with the Buccaneers, Cowboys, and Panthers. He won a championship with the Buccaneers. After 11 years, Johnson retired after the 2006 season. He then started working for ESPN as an analyst. Prayers go out to his family during this difficult and trying time. 

Collin Sexton doesn’t appear to be amused by Kevin Love’s current contract. Both athletes play for the Clevland Cavaliers, although Love is a vet on the team and Sexton is only a few seasons in. However, Sexton isn’t showing the often expected respect for his elders. Sexton liked a tweet calling Love’s contract the “heist of the century.” The like has since been removed.

Love is signed to a four-year, $120 million contract. According to Basketball Reference, he is making $31.3 million for the 2020-21 season. That ranks 20th in the league, which means Love is getting more this season than Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Bradley Beal, and other players that were selected for the All-Star game this year. To be fair, Love does have more overall All Star appearances than those aforementioned players.

When LeBron James left the Cavs in 2018, the team rushed to resign Love, which was the only All-Star left on their roster after Kyrie also left the team. However, the huge contract isn’t looking like it paid off for the franchise. However, it is good to see a player milking the industry, and not the other way around. Do you think Sexton is right to feel some type of way about Love’s contract?

Danny Brown, the mastermind behind acclaimed projects like XXX, Old, Atrocity Exhibition, and 2019’s uknowwhatimsayin? has officially turned forty years young today. Easily one of the game’s most creative, experimental, and all-around daring songwriters, it feels appropriate to give the Detroit rapper his flowers on this milestone occasion. 

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While he might not be the most prolific, opting instead to move at his own pace, it’s part of why his discography has so few missteps. Everything he releases feels like a labor of love, a testament to Danny’s understanding of the album as an art form. Unsurprising, given that some of his key influences have ranged from Mount Eerie’s A Crow Looked At Me to Radiohead’s Kid A, two projects not often cited in the greater hip-hop discourse. Simply put, Danny Brown has a different understanding of music than many of his peers; that’s not to say he can’t hang in a traditional sense, having lined his share of legendary posse cuts like “1 Train,” “Really Doe,” and “Detroit Vs. Everybody.” 

Though it’s unclear as to whether he intends on dropping off a new album this year, we’d like to make our appreciation known, wishing Danny some happy birthday vibes. Here’s to many more highlights from one of the game’s true risk-takers. 

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Lil Uzi Vert has released an impressive catalog of music over the years and he’s earned a couple of Grammy Award nominations as well. In 2017, the Philadelphia-based rapper was nominated in the Best New Artist category, as well as the Best Rap Performance grouping for his feature on “Bad and Boujee”. 

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Unfortunately, despite a strong campaign behind his latest album Eternal Atake, Uzi hasn’t been nominated at the awards ceremony in three years. That doesn’t mean his career hasn’t been wildly successful without the Recording Academy’s co-sign. After all, he did get a $24 million diamond pierced onto his forehead, which is more money than most of the Academy’s members will ever hold. This year’s Grammy Awards have come and gone and, reflecting on his own journey as an artist, Lil Uzi predicted that he would never bring home one of the coveted gramophone trophies. 

“I probably a never get one of those [trophies],” tweeted the rapper on Monday evening. His fans are reminding him that he’s still one of the greatest rappers of his generation, even without a Grammy. Hopefully, Uzi is keeping his head up and uses his snubs as motivation to continue delivering quality in his music.

Do you think Lil Uzi Vert will win a Grammy Award one day?